Lighting device



Sept 3, 1929.

H. P. LEWENSOHN LIGHTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 22, 1927 I N V E N TOR HenryI? L ewmsolm :ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES HENRY P. LEWENSOI-IN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIGHTING DEVICE.

Applicationfiled October 22, 1827. Serial No. 227,899.

This invention relates to theatre lighting devices and particularly tothe means for illuminating the aisle of a theatre, assembly hall,auditorium or similar seating place.

My invention contemplates the provision of simple and inexpensive meansreadily att-achable to a chair of any of the types now in general use,for casting light on the floor of the aisle. It is intended that theaisle floor be lighted sufliciently to allow the safe and rapid passageof patrons without interfering with the lighting effects in the remainder of the house, or allowing any of the direct rays of light toreach the eyes of patrons. The parts are so designed, proportioned andarranged as to occupy a minimum of space, while allowing ready access tothe lamp for replacement and repair, and so enclosing the lamp that itmay not easily be tampered with by unauthorized persons. It will beunderstood that my improved device is adapted for manufacture and saleseparately and may be attached to any of the chairs now used, or ma formpart of the chair when it is first installed. The device is adapted forattachment to any of the individual chairs of a row or to the end chairsof the row only if desired.

The various objects of my invention will be clear from the descriptionwhich follows and from the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of atheatre chair showing my improved device attached there to in operativeposition.

Fig. 2 is a front view of my improved device, partly broken away to showthe interior construction.

Fig, 3 is a vertical section of, the same taken on the line 33- ofFig.2.

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the back member of the casing showingthe lighting lamp supported thereby, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a modified form of the casing showingthe cover member made integrally with the bottom.

In that practical embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated inits preferred form, the back 10 is preferably made flat and thin so thatit may be conveniently secured to the side panel 11 of the chair 12, asby means of bolts or screws 13 passing through the holes 14: in the sideextensions 15. The back may be made as a casting or it may bestamped orpressed from sheet metal as will be readily understood. Outstanding fromthe front surface 16 of the back 10, is the lamp supporting lug orbracket 17, which may be cast integrally with the back. or which may beformed of a separate member suitably secured thereto as may be foundconvenient or desirable.

I prefer. to'provide the ribs or flanges 18 outstanding from the frontsurface 16 of the back for the purpose of accurately locating theposition of the cover member 19 of the casing, and for preventingpossible movement of the cover member in any direction except that atright angles to the back for disassembling the cover member and theback. While the ribs or flanges 18 are shown as continuous to form aclosed rectangle, it is to be understood that it may be entirely omittedif desired, or that it may be made of any length or extent which may befound to be advantageous. The usual lamp base 20 of suitable insulatingmaterial is secured to the bracket 17 in a manner which is well known inthe art as by means of suitable screws not shown. For removably securingthe lamp 21 to the base 20 to allow ready replacement or repair thereof,any connection such as the usual bayonet lock or screw threads generallyused for that pur pose may be employed. The usual current carrying wires22, for supplying current to the lamp 21 are suitably connected to thelamp base 20 and are led through the opening 23 in the back 10 andthence toward the floor for connection with the exit lighting circuit inthe manner illustrated in my previous Patent No, 1,488,888, dated April1, 192 1, a suitable insulating connection 24 protecting the wires fromthe back 10.

The cover member 19 of the casing is preferably made of cast or pressedmetal and may be made of one or more parts. As illustrated in Figs. 2, 3and 4-, the casing consists of two parts 25 and 26. The front 25 ispreferably curved so as to project into the aisle as little as possible,and is formed integrally with the end 27. In order to conserve spacewhile providing sufficient space for the lamp 21, the curvature of thefront 25 is preferably begun at the upper rear edge 28 thereof andextends to the lower front edge 29. The front 25 is closed on all sidesexcept at the back thereof where the cover member engages the back 10,and fits about ular to the back.

movably secured to the back 10 as by the screws 31 passing throughsuitable opemngs of said ears and into the threaded holes 32 of theback.

The bottom of the member 19 is provided with a suitable opening oropenings through which the light of the lamp is permitted to reach thefloor of the aisle. In the form illustrated, these openings take theform of elongated narrow slots 33 having lncllned sides 34. As showninFigs. 2 to 4, the bottom is made in the form of a removable slottedplate 26, removably secured to the 1nwardly extending flanges 36 of thefront 25 as by means of the screw 37. hen the plate 26 is in theposition illustrated in Fig. 3, the narrowest parts of the preferablyparallel slots 33 are lowermost thereby allowing a minimum area of thefloor to be illuminated, since parts of the rays of light from the lampare cut off. I/Vhen, however, the plate 26 is reversed in position withthe narrowest parts of the slots uppermost, the raysof light passing theuppermost parts of the slots are allowed, by the downwardly divergentsides 34, to diverge and spread the light on the floor, therebyilluminating a greater area. In the modified form of the cover member 19shown in Fig. 6, the bottom is made integrally with the remainder ofsaid member. In either case, the rear portion of the member fits aboutand engages the outside of the flanges l8 and said member is therebyheld against displacement relatively to the back 10, though it will beunderstood that by removing the screws 31, said member may be entirelyseparated from the back by movement in a direction substantiallyperpendic- Furthermore, the bottom may be lower at its front edge thanat the rear edge so as to be forwardly and clownwardly inclined, wherebythe light may be cast into the aisle at a point further from the seat,if desired.

It will be understood that if desired the inside of the cover member andthe front surface ofthe back 10 may be nickel plated and polished toserve as reflectors for aiding to throw the light in the desireddirection.

It will be seenthat while the back 10 is not intended to be removed fromthe chair after it has been secured thereto, the cover member 19, which.normally covers the top, front and bottom of the lamp may, however, bequickly and easily removed from the back to expose .the lamp by merelyremoving the screws 29. By means of my improved device, it becomespossible to light the aisles to a greater or lesser extent, while at alltimes preventing direct rays of light from reaching the eyes of patrons.The lamp is furthermore supported. and arranged for quick and easyaccess, while allowing detection of persons who without authority, mightendeavor to tamper with the lamp. The

. seen that my improved enclosing device consists of few and simpleparts capable of being readily separated and secured together anddesigned for economical production, assembly and installation in largequantities.

I do not intend to be understood as limiting myself to the specificstructure shown and described herein as it is obvious that variouscontemplated changes may be made therein and as I intend to claim myinvention as broadly as is permitted by the state of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a lighting device of the character described, adapted to besecured to the outside of a chair, a lamp, a cover member closed on allsides except at the back, and having in the bottom thereof a series ofparallel elongated openings arranged lengthwise of the device, each ofsaid openings having plane sides angularly disposed to the face of thebottom for the passage of light therethrough, a back member adapted toclose the open side of said cover member, a flat back surface on saidback member, a rib extending forwardly from the front surface of saidback 111E111: her and arranged inwardly of the edges thereof in the formof a closed rectangle, a

bracket adjacent one end ofsaid rib extending from said back into thinterior of said cover member for supportingthe lamp, a base for saidlamp entirely on one side of said bracket, said back having an openingtherein on the lamp side of the bracket, and lugs projecting from theend of the cover member for attaching said cover member to said backmember and for allowing the complete removal of said cover membertherefrom for exposing the top, front and bottom of the lamp.

2. In a lighting device of the characterdescribed, a fiat back memberadapted to be secured to a chair for supporting a lamp, means forsecuring said member to the chair including perforated end lugsextending from said member, a bracket outstanding forwardly of saidmember, a lamp and a base therefor entirely on one side of the bracketand supported thereby, and a cover member curved from its upper rearedge to its lower front edge and having an opening closed by said backmember, and a slotted bottom inclined upwardly from the front to therear thereof, said cover member being secured to said back member andcompletely removable therefrom and provided with perforated end lugsspaced inwardly from the end lugs of the back member for the re ceptionof screws.

3. In a lighting device of the character described, a lamp, a casing forenclosing said lamp and adapted to be secured to the outside of a chair,including a substantially flat back member perforated for the passage ofcurrent conducting wires, means for securing said back member to achair, comprising perforated lugs extending from said member, meansassociated with said back member for supporting the lamp, comprisingabracket extending from said member, and a lamp socket arranged entirelyon the lamp side of said bracket and means separable from and removablysecurable to said back member and projecting therefrom for covering thetop, front and bottom of the lamp and allowing light from the lamp topass therethrough, comprising a curved member having a slotted bottominclined upwardly toward the rear and having lugs by means of which saidcurved member may be secured to the back member and completely detachedtherefrom.

a. In a lighting device of the character described, and adapted to beremovably secured to the outside of a chair near the bottom thereof, alamp, a back member, a bracket projecting forwardly of said member forsupporting a lamp socket, projecting flanges on said member in the formof a closed reotangle, one end of the rectangle being adjacent to saidbracket, a lamp socket secured to said bracket on one side thereof, aunitary lamp covering member, having spaced elongated longitudinallyarranged openings in the bottom thereof, engaging said flanges on theoutside thereof and abutting against the back member, and lugs extendingfrom. said covering member and adapted to be secured to the front faceof the back member for securing said members together and allowing thecomplete separation and detachment of said members.

5. In a lighting device of the character described, a back adapted to besecured to the side of a chair, a cover member engaging said back andremovably secured thereto, a lamp supported in the interior of saidcover member, and a slotted bottom on said cover member, the slots ofsaid bottom having inclined sides, each lying in a plane and angulariydisposed relatively to its opposite side, and said slots being arrangedlongitudinally of the bottom and in parallel spaced relation.

6. In a lighting device of the character described, a substantiallyrectangular back member for supporting a lamp, perforated end lugsextending from the shorter sides of said back member and adapted to havefastening means passed therethrough for re movably securing the backmember to a chair, a rib extending forwardly from the front surface ofsaid back member and arranged inwardly of the edges thereof to form aclosed rectangle substantially parallel to the edges of said backmember, a bracket arranged inside of said rib and adjacent the innersurface of one side thereof, a lamp socket arranged entirely on one sideof said bracket, a cover member substantially quadrantal incross-section and comprising fiat ends, a fiat bottom and aquarter-cylindrical surface joining said ends and said bottom and ofsuiiicient interior size to engage the outer surface of said rib, thebottom of said cover member having plane surfaces and being providedwith a plurality of parallel slots of greater length than the width ofsaid bottom, and perforated lugs projecting from the ends of said covermember and adapted to be secured to the front face of said back memberadjacent the lugs of said back member, whereby said cover member may becompletely removed from said back member and from the chair to whichsaid device is secured to completely expose said lamp socket.

HENRY P. LEWENSOHN.

